The Mighty, the Fabulous, and the Maniac
by OutThereOtaku
Summary: Ganondorf returns to the world of Hyrule ready to conquer it and finally defeat the hero. This time around his two loyal servants prove to be a bit more of a handful than helpful. What is an aspiring demon king to do? Meanwhile our heroes are up against a tough fight, but it isn't always against the villains as it is with each other…
1. Revenge, thy name is ruin

Zelda Hyrule Warriors fanfiction meant for entertainment, or light comedy but nothing else. All characters and settings belong to Nintendo.

_Minor spoilers (very minor, hardly even spoilers)- read at your own risk_

Enjoy! ;)

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><p>1.<p>

[Ganondorf's POV]

_Ahhh _the warm desert air is enough to lift my spirits. The hot sun, sand and oasis are a perfect paradise. The Gerudo desert is where I was born, so it always had that sort of welcoming feel to it. There was nothing more relaxing on a stressful day than coming back to these places. Today had definitely been stressful… and would soon become even more so. It was oh so difficult to stay in a good mood these days.

"Maassssssssttteeeer! It's far too hot out here! Are you sure we have to recruit _here_ of all places?" The Twilit king, Zant, whined from behind me in a drawl. Ah yes… there was one of the reasons… My two newest minions followed along behind me on the trek through the desert. They both pledged their undying loyalty to me, probably out of intimidation or a need for some kind of authority. A husky annoyed sigh escaped my lips as I replied tiredly, "Are you in any position to question me?" Judging from the quivering "_no"_ that was barely audible behind me I could be at ease knowing he wouldn't question my choices again. At times, I was at a loss of words describing Zant. Supposedly in his own realm he was a king, but he carried himself more to that of a spoiled child. The other, Ghirahim, was sufficed to say a bit more conceited than even me. In his time he had apparently been a weapon and minion to the great lord Demise, whom I may or may not have been related to at some point depending on who you ask. Perhaps that is why he chose to follow me.

It made me think briefly of the other demon with us who had been abnormally quiet for some time now. Curious, I glanced back briefly. Not surprisingly the sword-demon had materialized one of his black daggers and was fidgeting with it to keep himself occupied. What Idiots. Was it a curse that I was somehow always stuck with incompetent minions? Well that wasn't quite fair to say as I had yet to see either of them perform yet. But it was a safe enough guess.

If I was going to succeed in taking over Hyrule, I'd need an army of monsters. The Gerudo desert was full of them due to that blasted prison at Arbiter's Grounds. And Hylia knows I have plenty experience with imprisonment there. Naturally this was the first step in my conquest.

"It may not be a prime location for the complexion but I'm sure master had reason enough in choosing it." Ghirahim offered with a dramatic wave of his hand. "Indeed," I began, "We will free the imprisoned monsters and defeat their commanders. Then they will have no choice but to serve me. Need I remind you of what will happen should you fail me?" Ghirahim grinned with a confident bow, and though I couldn't see Zant behind his helmet he most likely did the same. So be it then. _Try and impress me._

[Ghirahim's POV]

_Pfew! _It feels so good to be out of that stuffy master sword and back to mischief again! How long has it been, maybe a couple of decades or centuries? Heck if I know. Either way I feel absolutely terrific again! The only thing that would make it better is if I could punish that little twerp, Link, for locking me there in the first place. He did have such a lovely scream after all, and it is a crime to have not heard it for so long! It's a shame I have to play lap-dog again, but Ganondorf does have a certain 'je ne sais quoi' about him that reminds me of Demise. Also like my old master, he doesn't seem very confident in me… I will have to show him just how magnificent the Demon Lord Ghirahim can truly be! What's a little pressure when you have fabulous on your side? And I definitely have that to spare.

The Gerudo desert was truly something. It was both hideous and gorgeous at the same time. For one thing it reminds me of the Lanayru desert, back when I was chasing around the spirit maiden and the sky child was getting in my way… If I had to say though, the Gerudo desert's oasis is worth the trip here. It was quite easy to look at, and so beautifully out of place in this bland sea of sand. It was likely the only attractive thing in miles, besides myself of course. Alas there was no time for sightseeing, business is business after all. I was so excited to get down to that business and wear off the stiffness from being trapped so long.

Enthusiastically I leapt up beside the new master and did a quick little dance in front of him while he was contemplating. I called out, "So then, Ganny, what is the game plan?" He stared at me a moment, scowling at the nickname. It was actually Zant who answered, "I know I know! Let us take over the major keeps and weaken their defenses!" Darn… that was good. I wish I had thought of it first. Ganondorf processed it a moment, bringing his thumb to his ginger beard in thought. "Yes good then, we will overtake the three major keeps to lure out the commanders."

Orders given, I was preparing to teleport off to fulfill it quickly. "I'll take the North if it is of no consequence to you. Its aesthetic… speaks to me." I said a bit casually. "Very well, but do not disappoint me demon." He replied coldly giving me a stare that would have killed a puppy. I can see how this lovely relationship will progress then. Ouch. Shrugging it off for the time being I put on my best smile, raised my arm over my head and snapped my fingers. Instantly I disappeared in a flash of red, yellow and black diamonds. What kind of demon lord would I be without showy entrances and exits after all?

Within seconds I had appeared in the blue and yellow hallway en route to the keep. Rusted cogs littered the walls and debris was scattered all over the floor covered in dust and sand. I had my reasons for choosing this place above the others. Its layout and color schemes reminded me of that mining facility I had found the spirit maiden in some time ago. The place was old and dusty, the air stinking of monster musk among other things. Several little green bokoblins came down the ramp to greet me. _How charming_, I think as I snap my demonic sword into hand.

[Zant's POV]

_Kyagh!_ Watching the demon snap away like that made me wish I had that power! That is so cool! With Mr. Ganondorf being terribly powerful and scary and Ghirahim being so resourceful and flashy I'd really have to work hard to keep up! I could do it no problem though. I am a genius, super energized, strategic, amazing… you name it and it fits me. I could totally handle this! Ganondorf was already on his way to the Sacred Grounds, but it had slipped my mind until I realized I had been standing alone there. Quickly I called out, "Leave the South desert to me master! I will not fail you!" I'm not sure he heard exactly since he was busy fighting some really big green monsters, but I took off anyway.

I wonder if this will be hard… The last time I had served under Mr. Ganondorf, the hero and that traitor Midna ended up beating me… and he didn't care! He left me there to suffer! It was terribly difficult finding a merciful god to watch over and manipulate me these days… It's not that I can't handle myself it's just that I… can't really… handle… myself.

I finally made it to the keep where bunches of short green bokoblins were standing around inside. I could feel all the sand stuck in my shoes and my thick robes sticking with sweat. It is dreadful. I want to go back to the nice dark Twilight! Agh! Taking out my anger on the little monsters I crazily sliced and spun into them from every angle. It proved to be quite a fun stress reliever. They looked just like ugly little rag dolls being thrown around. Soon out of nowhere I feel a slice at my back and turned around to see an especially fat moblin striking at me. Whoa! No it's just a _little_ bigger than the bokoblins… _You got this Zant! _It was obvious that I _could_ do it when I defeated the boss and claimed the keep for our forces without too much trouble. I really shouldn't doubt myself so much, heck, this was easy! As soon as the thought crossed my mind, two aeralfos popped out of nowhere taking me by surprise. It proved so very difficult to fight one while the other was poking me.

[Ganondorf's POV]

After the annoyances had left, sending my blades through hundreds of bokoblins became like a rhythmic game. I had captured the keeps along the way with ease and even freed some darknuts and stalchildren from their prisons. Their lives were to do with as I pleased now. Just the thought made my mouth curl into a satisfied sneer. Monsters always seemed to keep coming, so there was no real consequence to how many I killed anyway. They were just pawns in the game, of no real significance. But once under my control numbers would mean everything. That hero and the princess were not to be underestimated. The only way I could compete without my full strength is if I could wear them down a bit first.

Nearly clear across the field I could plainly hear Zant's whiny voice shouting for help. Quickly finishing off a moblin I let out a sigh and set off in his general direction. When I arrived I was greeted with the most ridiculous display of Zant running from two aeralfos. The palm of my hand met my furrowed brow in disgust as I let out a sigh. Was he really a king in his own time? I have some serious doubts. Although, it's easy enough to believe he had been overthrown as he lays claim. It was almost amusing, watching the Twilit king running with as much grace as a penguin.

In a few swift strokes I had cut down the flying beasts and loomed above my shaking minion. My disapproving glare prompted him to babble on, "Oh master! Thank you! Thank you! Terribly sorry that you had to trouble yourself with me-"

"Zant, remember I told you that you will not disappoint me, or else perish again?"

"Oh…. Oh yes sir… please no… I-I-I-"

"Silence. You will NOT have any more chances. You'd better impress me from here on, or I'm afraid I won't be able to control my temper."

"Thank you so much master! Yes, I won't let you down! I will impress you lord Ganondorf, oh yes I'll impress you!"

The sap was actually on his knees practically nipping at my heels. I did not have time for his groveling. I took up my swords and walked away from him on to the next keep.

There was a jail cell being blocked off by a bulbin that caught my eye. If I freed the creatures within it, they would have no choice but to obey me. The pathetic creature had barely even noticed what was going on until my black blade pierced into it. I allowed myself a deep chuckle as the gates of the cage opened. "Your lives are now mine, to do with as I please. If you do not meet my expectations, then there is no use of you to stay alive now is there?" The Darknut captain understood perfectly and saluted. Hundreds of rattled stalchildren followed the black-clad soldier into the battle where they began fighting with me. Perfect. Things were certainly moving along as planned.

[Ghirahim's POV]

Finally I had cut down the last of the beasts and claimed the northern most keep for Ganny. It was terribly taxing stuff, all this fighting. Some pink lemonade would be good right about now. Or just a way to get out of the desert, either or. With a quite elegant snap, I appeared beside the master in a flash of diamonds. He had struck his two black swords into the sand, arms crossed and eyes closed like he was waiting for something. At the whooshing noise I'd made popping in, he glanced at me before going back to whatever he was thinking about. I pouted, feeling the need to speak but didn't. A figure in the distance caught my attention. Closer inspection revealed it to be Zant, running over to meet us.

Apparently we had all been successful in capturing our keeps and luring out the commanders. The proof was obvious enough looking at the giant, hideous spider that was chasing Zant in our direction. Much to my surprise, the Twilit king looked pretty calm, albeit running like an idiot. To the contrary, he looked quite pleased with himself at luring the spider out. Ganondorf plucked up his swords, stretching out his muscles before charging after it. I followed suit rather gracefully.

Zant had set to attacking first, launching his scimitars into the spider at random. Crazy as his method, it seemed to be working out for him. I set to throwing glowing red daggers straight into her blue eye, eliciting a horrid screech from the poor girl. Ganny was no slouch either, making crazy darkness and glowing energy balls out of thin air to hit it where it hurt. With three demonic beings attacking it, it didn't take long to wear the thing out. Ganondorf gripped one of her thin legs in hand and stomped onto her eye with a little more force than necessary, considering she was already badly injured. Not that I felt sorry for her or anything… she was still repulsive. "You assist me now beast. Serve me, or die." The man barked with a husky growl. Gohma seemed to get the message just fine. Next the other two commanders appeared. The giant plant thing, Manhandla and the scaly Dodongo came out and launched their attacks. For these targets the three of us split up, Ganny against the dodongo while Zant and I tackled Manhandla.

Battle with the plant and the dodongo went just as successfully. Essentially we had just created an entire army of monsters at our disposal, adding them to the ones Zant and I already had. No doubt we outnumbered the Hylian knights, but the difference was that all of our monsters were completely brain-dead. Sad but true. At the very least, we could get into the nitty gritty now going after the little scarf-hero and the princess! Oh what fun was ahead!

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><p>Sorry part one was so long! Future chapters won't be this big; I just needed to set it up a bit. Anyway I hope those of you that did read it enjoyed it so far! ;)<p> 


	2. A sense of dread

2.

[Zelda's POV]

The last few days had been nothing but boredom. Now that Cia was vanquished, the war was over, but it really didn't feel like it was. I sat at my desk overlooking the window. I was supposed to be sorting through the enormous stack of documents that had been piling up while I was away. With a heavy sigh I sat my quill down and leaned my elbow on the desk, propping my chin against it. Since we got back to the castle I have had this sneaking feeling that this war wasn't over yet. After all, we had definitely seen Ganondorf at the Temple of souls… So where was he? He could be out there right now preparing an attack and here I was skimming over documents detailing cucco black market trades! I had to reread that one a dozen times to believe it.

My long ear twitched up as I heard a familiar sound outside. My face lit up excitedly as I rose and walked over to the windows, opening them and strolling out onto the balcony. I leaned over the railing looking down with a happy grin spreading over my lips. There was no mistaking that splash of green in the courtyard below. Link was calmly playing an ocarina, a sweet melody I had heard many times. He never ceased to surprise me. Who would have thought someone with the power to take down an army single-handedly was also a musician. I guess I couldn't argue that, considering I was actually quite a harpist myself. Catching my eye, the knight smiled and stopped playing the small instrument.

"Hello princess!" He shouted up a bit awkwardly as a flush of pink dusted his cheeks. I couldn't stop from giggling a bit. Link hadn't been much of a talker; in fact it was a rarity that he ever did speak. He had been opening up a lot more during and after the battle though, often talking to me. "You can just call me Zelda, Link. Aren't we good enough friends for that at least?" I asked down to the boy. Looking down at his boots he scratched his cheek a bit, but still smiling. "Hang on a moment! I'll come down!" I shouted anxiously. I caught glimpse of him looking back up at me as I left my quarters to head down to the court yard.

I'd almost made it down the red-carpeted hall before a tanned arm shot out in front of me. "And just where are you off too princess? Do you not still have some work to sort through?" Impa voiced in a motherly tone. She tipped her head accusingly, causing her white braid to sway with her. I let loose a sigh and quirked an eyebrow up at her disapproving gaze. "I'm almost finished anyway so I thought I'd go out for some fresh air! It was about cuccos anyway, slow day." I'd tried to walk forward only to be stopped again. "Just getting fresh air you say? That's peculiar; I could have sworn I saw Link outside just now..." She said with a chuckle as my ears reddened. "N-no it isn't like that! Not that I don't want it to be… I would like to talk with him about something, very formal… err… business." I struggled with a weak smile. Impa's red eyes softened and she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Alright, alright, just don't stay out there all day. You still have a lot to do." She gave me a wink, closing the painted Sheikah eye on her face. Excitedly I wrapped her into a quick hug calling out, "deal!" I let her go and started running like a little girl back outside, waving to her as I left. I could hear her amused laugh from the corridor and found myself turning red again. It had been like this for a little while now, since the battle had ended. I couldn't explain it but just seeing Link made me feel happy and safe. He was busy with training a lot of the time, and me with royal business but he still stopped by pretty often to my delight. Impa seemed to think it was cute as well from what I could tell. She never let me slack off, but when it was to see Link, she often let it slide. It was good to have her watching over me.

[Link's POV]

"Proxi that was a terrible idea… why did I listen to you?" I asked the little blue fairy while I waited for Zelda in the courtyard. I was mentally kicking myself with just how cheesy I had probably looked. "Nonsense Link, it was romantic!" The little ball of light piped up encouragingly, but doing nothing but add to the embarrassment I was feeling. I felt so dumb. It was bad enough I had this huge crush on Zelda, but she probably thought I was a weirdo. I would anyway, in her position. Everyone thought I was mute for a good part of the war, so we didn't talk much during it besides taking orders or talking quick strategy. Now here I was, a love-sick deku nut serenading to a girl that was way out of my league. Well I guess that's not entirely true, since I am the chosen hero, or at least the reincarnation of one… That's pretty cool too right?

I didn't have much time to brood on it, catching glimpse of blonde hair around the stone wall. Proxi flittered back to her hiding place in my tunic whispering, "Good luck!" My heart thudded against my chest wildly as Zelda greeted me with a smile that could have lit up all of Hyrule field. From far away she was always gorgeous, but in person every detail seemed even more stunning. She was wearing her crown and had her long hair braided at the end, with the little decoration in the end. Other than that though, she was wearing a more casual pink gown without all her armor plates. I didn't have my own armor either. I did still keep my blue scarf on though, liking how much I had gotten used to it. "Good morning Link!" She greeted in a chipper tone. I stared a minute, forgetting how to use my own vocal chords while my throat was burning this much. "G-good morning princess- err- Zelda!" I stuttered out quickly, trying to will my awkwardness away unsuccessfully.

She tipped her head to the side a bit watching my electric blue eyes curiously, "So Link, how is your training coming?" She asked. Her question caught me off guard. I don't remember what I had planned to actually talk to her about, now it was happening and I was just staring at her. "Uh it's great! I really enjoy it and sometimes I get to show the other guys some moves. They are all pretty cool mostly. I think they get jealous of me sometimes but I can't figure out why. They talk a lot about you a lot too, mostly how beautiful you are… but uh Impa says that I'll be promoted soon if I keep up the good work!"

As soon as I'd stopped I slapped a metaphorical hand over my mouth in frustration, _for the love of Hylia, was an easy 'it's going great' too difficult? Why did I just say all that other stuff? _Zelda merely giggled before giving me another stunning smile that froze me over. "I'm glad to hear that! Once you become a full-fledged knight you could work your way up to a commander position! You certainly deserve it." She said confidently. It came out before I could stop it, "I guess so, I don't care what position I'm in though as long as I can still see you like this." Zelda started to blush the slightest shade of pink and looked down with an uneasy smile, folding her hands together. At that image my mind completely shut down.

Maybe this was the reason I didn't talk much before. That or I never had a reason to? It was most likely the latter, but probably both.

Whenever I talked to Zelda I completely lose my ability to formulate proper sentences. If it was battle strategy, orders or mission briefing I could handle it no problem and I even sounded like I knew exactly what I was talking about! It was just the normal small talk that got to me. A few days ago for example, Zelda and I were talking, mostly she was talking and I was listening. She said, "So I'm guessing your favorite color is green right?" She tossed me one of those winks that made me stop breathing for a few minutes. In my mind I'd say something suave like, "Actually my favorite is the cerulean color in your eyes." or something close to that… Then in reality, all I did was nod my head and continue to stare at the grass. Real smooth hero. Reeeeeeeeaal smooth. Back in the present, Zelda looked up again with a bit of a smirk etching across her lips now, quirking an eyebrow at me. It was then I realized that she was actually a little bit taller than me. Din knows this could only get worse. And it did with her next words,

"Those other knights are probably jealous of you because you're my favorite."

I tried pep-talking in my subconscious to get my mind working again after that statement,_ Okay Link, you are the guy that takes on armies by yourself, undergoes dungeon crawling for hours on end, and takes down power-mad baddies with just the master sword. Now do something really difficult like talking to Zelda without babbling like an idiot! _Once I was no longer a statue, I had managed to choke out a reply, "Ah really? They didn't seem the jealous types to me… but I'm your favorite?"

Zelda smiled at me with a knowing look. "Of course, but don't tell anyone that I've told you. It's a secret to everybody."

"Ha, who would I tell anyway? You and Impa are the only ones around here I actually talk to."

At that she giggled lightly. Suddenly she was looking up at the sky and her face fell slightly. "Hey Link, can I tell you about something I have been feeling?" She asked seriously, her eyes boring into mine. "Sure, anything…" I replied simply, trying to find in the sky what she was so focused on. The answer seemed to satisfy her enough seeing as she continued, "I have this feeling that the war isn't over just yet. Ganondorf is bound to make a move somewhere. Don't you think?"

This time I was ready with my answer, "He won't just sit by idly forever, so you're probably right. He's almost certainly assembling his forces to make an attack on Hyrule. But when that does happen, we'll be ready for another fight." I tossed a smirk her way confidently. It was so much easier discussing the bad guy. This was a topic I was better suited for.

Zelda opened her mouth to say something again, but before she could, we both heard the clip clop of horse hooves. One of the knights that had been patrolling around the fields was riding up towards us on a white mare. He had discarded his helmet and his clothes looked a bit torn here and there. He rode up quickly and dismounted, keeping one arm on the mare to steady himself.

"Princess, some of Zant's minions have reappeared in the Twilight field. It looks like there's an army headed towards Hyrule castle as we speak!" As soon as the man had finished, Zelda looked at me again with a look of determination. I nodded, mirroring her expression without really thinking about it. It seemed her hunch were correct, Ganondorf wasn't finished yet. And he was already preparing for his first attack.


	3. Baddie Strategy

3.

[Ganondorf's POV]

My temporary lair wasn't too shabby of a place. After that brat Cia had disobeyed me I was forced to find a new location in the Valley of Seers. I would have preferred to stay in the desert, but it was easier to come here than listen to Zant and Ghirahim whine about the heat. I sat at the round wooden table of the underground room with my hand to my forehead in frustration. I'd been staring at the yellowed map on the table for a few hours planning the surprise attack on Hyrule castle. In the dim candlelight I'd been scratching notes into the tiny landmarks. The two annoyances had gone to assemble their own forces to add to my new found army. Things were going according to plan.

A sudden crash at the top of the stairs caught my eye. The annoying demon sword pranced down and snapped his fingers to appear again sitting on top of the seat across from me instead of in it. "Good news Ganny, my bokoblins are all set to party! I've got them patrolling around upstairs until you give the orders." The man said with a casual wink. I rolled my eyes, returning them to the map. "Good then. When Zant returns I can go through the battle tactics." I growled. He retorted with a chuckle, but thankfully didn't speak again. Much to my displeasure, Zant took several hours longer than was anticipated. He finally appeared in the stairwell hanging his head low and dragging his feet. He had removed his helmet, revealing striking yellow eyes and a creepy bluish skin tone.

Behind him I noticed the sky had turned a dark shade of navy, indicating that it was indeed past the time I had allotted him to prepare his troops. I glared up at him, waiting for him to sob, or snivel out an apology but it never came. To my astonishment he stood confidently in front of me and drew in a breath before beginning, probably thinking it would be his last. "Lord Ganondorf, master I must again apologize. While I was in the Twilight fields gathering my hordes, one of the Hylian soldiers spotted me."

So the princess would most definitely be notified before our arrival, and prepare ahead of time… this was indeed a setback. Giving him to verbal reply just yet my dark eyes scanned the parchment for the hundredth time that day. We'd have to capture more of their vital keeps, and set up lizalfos troops in various locations, but Zant's error wouldn't hinder the plans on too large a scale. I would have to confront the little hero now, but perhaps that was a good thing. Intimidation always worked well in my favor. Finally I looked up to the blue faced Twilit king with the most neutral expression I could muster, "This is a minor setback. We will adjust the plans, and deploy our forces at the first light of dawn." Feeling unwilling to deal with them any longer I was ready to retire for some much needed rest. I rose from my seat, not bothering to let them confirm or argue my words. The little hero and the princess would have quite a problem on their hands come tomorrow. A smirk etched over my features at the thought.

[Zant's POV]

The master behaved uncharacteristically merciful. Maybe he was warming up to me a bit? No that was probably too much to hope for. Either way I was eternally grateful to him once again! I must have been cursed with bad luck… that seemed to be the only thing I ever ran into. "So," The sword-demon chirped, catching my eye, "Let's check out these plans of his eh?" With a graceful flip Ghirahim was off of the chair and leaning over the map with a hand to his chin in thought. Curiously I loomed over him to see the yellowed parchment had several red marks on it. The Twilight palace and Sealed Grounds had red circles around them, along with the desert. Then there were some that had large x shapes through them. Sprouting across there were multiple arrows in various directions and incursive writing detailing who would be where. Ah that was the master alright, so clever to think of all of it.

The other demon smirked and snapped his fingers, materializing a feathered quill in hand. He bent his nose close to the paper and began scribbling something beside the master's notes. Before thinking I had already blurted out, "What are you doing? It isn't wise to do that; it might put you on his bad side."

"Can't be any worse than where you are at with him huh?"

"Touché…"

The man stood back up, seeming satisfied with whatever he had added. Curiously I checked it over again. He had drawn quick humorous cartoon doodles of us where Ganondorf had written our names. Their heads were larger than their small bodies, and they were in cutesy battle poses. Ganondorf's cartoon had a large frown covering his face and his eyebrows were knit into an angry face. The white demon's own doodle looked far too happy, and he had surrounded it with sparkles. Mine had a pointy head and looked like it was wearing a large dress. I looked down subconsciously at my attire, unamused. "What good is that?" I asked laughing a bit. He shrugged snapping the quill away after adding a handle bar mustache to Ganondorf's face.

"I'm bored! This war would go a lot faster if we had some kind of secret weapon." As soon as the other had said that I remembered something and lit up cheerily. The other made a smug face in my general direction waiting for me to continue.

"Oh, oh I have something like that!"

"You? I'm sure…"

"No really, here it is!"

I pulled out the pocket cucco I had been keeping and set him flapping on the wooden table. The little white creature contentedly made its squawking chirps while it strutted back and forth on the table, debating whether or not to leap off. Ghirahim's stared at it a moment dumbfounded and pouted, folding his arms. "What, a chicken? What good is that for a secret weapon?" He asked. I chuckled at his ignorance shaking my head. "Not a chicken, it's a cucco. These things are pretty lethal." I said intelligently, feeling empowered that I knew something he didn't. After all I had been around longer, even if had been in the Twilight.

Ghirahim stuck out a finger and poked the creature's white feathers suspiciously. Instantly I leaped back against the wall as fast as I could, letting out a shrill shriek, "Whoa don't mess with it yet! You'll tick it off and it'll attack!" Again he looked up at me, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're kidding right? Trying to mess with me? Look at this thing, there's no way it's dangerous." Obviously feeling a bit more daring or eager to prove me wrong the sword-demon snapped a dagger into hand and prodded at the cucco, sneering at my terrified expression. Returning his attention back to the cucco, Ghirahim's uncovered eye suddenly went wide with shock. The cucco's own eyes were glowing red and it was flapping madly, feathers sent flying in every direction. The squawks it made were becoming more determined.

Dropping the crude weapon, Ghirahim joined me against the wall and watched it with a mix of interest and alarm. Soon more clucking could be heard from the stairwell as several more of the creatures began pouring into the small room. They ended up trampling a lizalfos that had decided to enter at that moment. I sent a knowing 'I told you so' face at the other demon and proceeded to run to the exit, with him following. Sure enough, dozens more of the white birds were springing up in all directions chasing us around the dark valley. Before long the crowd of white feathers looked like its own army barreling right at us with fiery determination.

I looked over to the other demon shouting, "Still think they are harmless?!"

"Fine, fine I get it! How do you stop them?"

"You don't! They stop on their own eventually."

"Forget that, I'm out of here. Good luck buddy!" Ghirahim snapped himself away with a wink and suddenly I was running on my own and about to come up to a dead end gorge. He sets them off and then leaves them to kill me? What kind of hazing was this?! Was it some kind of revenge for the master showing mercy to me maybe? Or maybe it was just something for him to have fun with? Either way I was in a right mood for a temper tantrum. My own teleportation didn't work with quite the range that Ghirahim's did, but I still had enough power to warp to the other side of the gorge. I popped on the other side in a wave of black rectangles and stopped to take a breather, nearly falling over panting by this point.

Unfortunately I had forgotten that they were indeed birds, and were more than capable of a slowly descending glide. I sure remembered when tons of them had floated over the gorge and were already pecking and scratching at me. I couldn't teleport around forever, so I'd have to wait them out somewhere. And it was time to run again. I sure wished I had my helmet now… Oh that sword-demon was going to pay for this one. It didn't matter if he'd actually meant to. Ally or not he just started a war with the usurper king of Twilight! And revenge was something I had full intents on fulfilling.


	4. Battle on the home front

4.

[Zelda's POV]

The troops were all ready and filing out of the castle yard with shaky clanking of their weapons. I watched from the top of the wall at all of them preparing for Ganondorf's first attack. There was no telling how bad it would be. Down below I spotted Link and Impa exchanging some kind of strategies. They were both captains, so it was only natural they would have a plan set up for this just in case. I was prepared to do my part as well, donning my full armor and shining rapier. Even if we lost this one, I wasn't going down without a fight and I could trust them to do the same.

Just as we'd predicted, it wasn't long before the first specks appeared on the horizon line. I didn't have to look twice to know it was a band of monsters, and that somewhere in that crowd Ganondorf would be marching. Quickly I called a warning down to our rag-tag army of soldiers and they split off to different sections of the field. Impa and Link split into the west and east of Hyrule field respectively. I swiftly made my way to the allied base and briefed the troops as they sealed off the large double doors. It wouldn't take long for the battle to break out so we all had to be ready.

[Link's POV]

Ganondorf's troops took the field by storm. He definitely had way more minions this time around then our previous battles with him. Several of our troops were already hightailing it by the time the first couple of lizalfos started appearing. I caught sight of Impa, with her giant knife attacking one of them and got my own motivation to do so. I slashed through more bokoblins than I could count, and they still just kept coming.

I was just rounding the corner of the keep when a sudden slash at my middle knocked me clear off my feet. After slamming into the wall I got to a kneeling position and picked up my sword again to see what had hit me. Zant loomed overhead a few feet off, black robes flapping as he'd just spun into me. I couldn't see his expression due to the ridiculous helmet he was wearing, but he seemed serious enough. "Hello again little hero! This is truly a bittersweet reunion… truly! For I fear this is the last time I will see you alive!" He boasted, readying his scimitars. That voice of his had a weird way of changing from battle ready laughter to temper tantrums. While most of the time it was the latter, he seemed serious enough about this. I stood up dusting myself off and allowing a smirk to play at my lips. Whatever pain that surprise hit had put in me was now forgotten. I spun the master sword in hand and brandished it at the twilit king.

With a wild chuckle Zant was rushing me slashing away in flash of red color. I hastily put my shield up until he had tired himself out and struck a few choice blows of my own before leaping back. He teleported a few feet behind me and made his waddle-slash type move back at me again hitting me pretty good. I rolled aside a little angry about the tears in my tunic rather than the cuts themselves. Without giving it much thought I launched my famous spin attack and knocked him back a good ways into a crowd of green bokoblins.

He pulled off so many crazy moves I couldn't help but gawk a bit (if not laugh) almost every time. He was jumping around like a monkey hopped up on Lon Lon milk and stamina fruits. I was actually losing energy trying to dodge everything he was throwing at me. One minute I was hitting him, when a clone of his helmet popped up and spun around me cutting up my sides too fast for me to side step aside.

I rolled over in the grass and hissed in ache. Something was off here… there was no way this creep was this powerful on his own. His scimitars were blazing a red spark, lighting the air he slashed through with the color. I quickly rolled to the side again before said weapon could impale my skull into the dirt. I hustled to my feet and made a nice combo of slashes into the Twili before backing up again. I couldn't help but move a little slower with the pain in my sides so I'd have to be a little more careful now.

[Impa's POV]

Our Hyrulean forces were falling back and fading fast. There was no alternative than trying to get to the Great Fairy's fountain and fast. While Link was busy with Zant I had to get to it by myself. "Hold your positions! Don't let them through!" I shouted to the troops battling in the horde of monsters. Fierce panic threatened to raid my red eyes at just how overwhelmed we were becoming. At this rate they would make it to the princess and we would- "Just where do you think you are going twig?" A cocky voice reared from behind me. That demon-sword Ghirahim tossed his head throwing me a smirk behind his wave of white hair. Disgusted, I tried to continue running.

With a snap the demon had teleported in front of me and cut me down before I could get very far. I spat out a speck of red and scowled. It looked like there was no way out of this but a fight. "You're making a mistake demon! If you bar my path I will have to choice but to end you!" I shouted, raising the giant's knife in challenge. With a chuckle he materialized a black saber and aimed it at me in a similar fashion. "I find it rather adorable that you could even think that you could beat me. Well then, shall we begin?"

Without much more warning than that several dark daggers appeared out of nowhere and shot at me from all angles. Being used to this kind of quick attack, I flipped to the side as fast as my body would allow. If I had been an ounce wider those daggers would have guaranteed cut my long white braid off. I grimaced touching a fingertip along where the weapons had grazed my cheek. From the corner of my eye I happened to see a soldier knocked down by a lizalfos. I gritted my teeth feeling a twinge of guilt. There was no time, I had to get to the fairy now or many more would be hurt.

[Zelda's POV]

The battle had been going on for a few hours now. As soon as Proxi flew into the base alerting me that Link and Impa needed help I had no choice but to hurry into the fray. I rushed along the field around the bokoblins and fighting soldiers as Proxi led me. Most of our soldiers were actually looking pretty ragged and most were fleeing back to the base. That wasn't a good sign, especially considering that Ganondorf hadn't made his appearance yet. Before I got too far I had already stopped dead in my tracks. "IMPA NO!" The sound rang across the field but I could barely hear it myself as I saw her being knocked unconscious by that demon-sword Ghirahim. Unfortunately he had heard me and teleported out of the path of my weapon soon as I'd rushed him. Before he could reappear I ran over grabbing two guards by the shoulder. "Please, get Impa back to the castle!" They hastily nodded an understanding and took up carrying my unconscious guard back to the castle. I was readying to turn around when I was roughly shoved aside by Link. My eyes widened at the several cuts on his skin and tears in his green tunic. I didn't really have time to dwell on it before he was shouting, "Princess, get ready he's here!" I didn't understand what he was talking about until I saw that looming shadow over us. The demon king had finally made his appearance. Link threw his sword up just in time to block Ganondorf's sword from hitting us. My head was reeling.

I moved from behind Link and brandished my rapier at the demon king. I was starting to think together we could do it until Zant and Ghirahim stepped out from behind him. Link shot me a sudden look. He was never one to show more than determination, but now distinct fear etched into his electric blue eyes. I understood. I probably made the same expression come to think of it. Maybe we could take one of them, but not all three at once. There was no way we would win. Ganondorf's sneer set my agitation levels over the roof. I dropped my sword in surrender, as did many of the soldiers around us. It was cowardly. It was absurd! I was just seething. Seeing that broken look on all the troops' faces… It was just wrenching.

* * *

><p>Authors note:<p>

Hello dear readers! Sorry if its dragging on a bit in this chapter, but hang in there! The main story stuff will start soon as we get canon stuff out of the way! Just wanted to say I really appreciate the reviews and good feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I do writing it ;)


	5. Bittersweet victory

5.

[Ghirahim's POV]

Watching the princess and little hero retreat a few days ago was just a fantastic sight! Yes, it has been a few days since our victory. Now we had the leisure to relax in a bit. Back at the base I sat in one of the chairs with my feet up waiting for orders from the master. Across from me was an interesting spectacle. Two aeralfos were playing cards rather intensely. The one on the right narrowed his beady eyes and hissed. It dropped a ten of spades card down with a satisfactory lick of its tongue. The other aeralfos hissed in a chuckle and tossed down a king of hearts card that would win him the game. The first baddie rose up outraged and flipped the table over in upset before storming out. One of the bokoblins that had been watching tossed the winning aeralfos a yellow rupee. So that's what these monsters occupied their free time with? No wonder they were useless.

Before I could do anything about it, Zant burst through the door open and gallivanted down the stairs laughing his head off. I quirked an eyebrow at the strange behavior but he didn't seem to notice it. "Master is in such a lovely mood today and I found a way to make it even better! Check this out." He leaned over showing me a pictograph of a large tan-skinned lady wearing an interesting half-blue, half-red headdress like ice and fire. Her hair was snow white and her eyelids were coated in bluish eye make-up. Something about her looked vaguely familiar somehow… I glanced up at Zant inquisitively. He was laughing again, nearly falling on me in doing so. "I found it with his stuff, seems Ganondorf has female companions on occasion." Something about his tone seemed off, or I was imagining it with all his laughing. I stood up and stretched out my arms before snatching the pictograph. "That is quite interesting. I didn't picture Ganny the sensitive settle-down type to have a girlfriend." I voiced with amusement. I left the room with Zant still laughing behind me and trailed up the stairs to find said demon king.

[Ganondorf's POV]

I had gotten the news by one of the messenger bokoblins while I was going over the next set of plans in the Valley of Seers. The victory of the other day had gone over well, but nothing good lasts forever. The blue bokoblin held its monster horn in hand and detailed for me news from the desert. My brows furrowed and my lips curled into an intense frown as soon as the creature had uttered it. The princess had summoned back-up. All of their allies that together had spelled Cia's defeat were all together again and planning an attack on me, wonderful.

"Oh lord Ganny!" That blasted demon-sword was swaggering over. I felt ready to snap already at this latest turn of news, so hearing his irksome voice at a time like this was positively maddening. He popped up beside me, draping an arm on my shoulder and held out a pictograph in front of me. I didn't have that many material possessions, being thrown into so many different timelines all the time, but I did indulge in a few traditions such as keeping pictographs… It seemed he had found one of Twinrova and was about to utter something idiotic. "I didn't take you as a bird watcher Ganny. Who knew you'd be looking for a big-breasted divan thrasher. Is it even the right season for those?"

What was he getting at? He was obviously under some misunderstanding here.

"I suppose even your 'to do' list has something besides work on it yes?" He continued.

This had to end. Now.

"She is my surrogate mother." I growled.

"… aaaaaaaannd she is… lovely. I can see where you get your eh… devil-may-care features."

[Zant's POV]

There was no point trying to stifle my laughter when Ghirahim came back downstairs with a black eye on his otherwise pale face and several burn marks all over the rest of him. He shot me an icy glare and snapped into a seat beginning with, "So Zant,"

"Ah- yes?"

"You knew she was his mother?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"And you let me go anyway?"

"That is about the size of it. How did it go?"

He merely pointed to himself with a roll of his eyes and a coy smile. I couldn't help but burst into laughing fit again. Ghirahim wasn't amused. He rose up from his chair and snapped his sword into hand, holding it at me threateningly. In between my rasping laughs I managed, "Relax, it's just payback for the cucco thing. Now we are even." At my words his weapon disappeared and an amused glint lit up in his visible eye.

"Oh so you wished to exact revenge did you Twili? Well I have a feeling we are a bit less than even now. I hope you are prepared for a lot of suffering headed your way. Your scream isn't as fun to hear as Link's, but I'm sure I'll enjoy hearing it all the same when I get you back for this." He folded his arms across his chest and smirked at me in challenge. So this little revenge game would continue… That thought was terrifying.

"That little hero already screams too much whether he's in pain or not! So your threat won't scare me anymore than it would him." I voiced.

"That's rather hypocritical that you should say that. Don't you think?" The demon-sword chuckled and swished his hair from his other eye briefly revealing a purple diamond mark under it. "But while on the subject, you've got a point," Ghirahim continued, "The boy is always shouting hi-yahs, has, hee-yahs, and such with every thrust of his sword. For one that rarely speaks, he is surprisingly vocal."

Not even a minute later Master Ganondorf came storming down into the room and smacked a hand on the table with a paper message. "The princess has gained reinforcements. All of them together would be enough to face us. We need a new strategy and you idiots might have just given me an idea."


	6. Draw for a truce

6.

[Link's POV]

The defeat of the other day was soul-crushing on my pride. Not only could I not handle Zant on my own, but I failed to protect Impa and the princess was forced to retreat. Way to go hero. Then we had a bit of luck. Lana had figured out a way to call everyone back to our time line. Midna, Agitha, Fi, Darunia and Ruto were all back. With this many allies there was no way we would lose in another battle, even if those three power-house baddies ganged up on us again. Of course we'd gotten the castle back pretty quickly, so our friends headed off to their respective places. It was almost easy to feel sorry for Ganondork, knowing there was no way he could win now. At least I thought so at first. Then later something crazy stupid happened.

[Zelda's POV]

I was sitting at my desk going through the usual documents when Impa marched into my room looking flustered. "Your highness… we need you down in the great hall. Something has come up." Impa declared. There was the strangest look on her face; something between an annoyed twitching with an amused smile. It gave me no indication of what the problem was. I headed downstairs with her, trying to get her to elaborate but she wasn't speaking.

Soon enough we made it to the top of the stairs and I stared down completely confused by the sight that greeted me. There was Lana standing in between Link and Ghirahim. The sorceress was blocking Link from hitting the demon for what appeared to be the third or fourth time judging by the bruises on him. I was still hopelessly confused. I looked to Impa, who finally explained. "Princess, this demon showed up here requesting a formal truce with you. He… wants to join us, apparently." She was chuckling, so it was hard to tell if this was serious. From below Lana shot me a look that just screamed 'help me', so it was about time I went down myself.

Lana pushed a scowling Link off to the side as I walked up to Ghirahim. The man surprised me by bowing as I came closer. He spoke first in the most formal tone I've ever heard from him, "Your highness if I may, I humbly ask for a ceasefire and possibly service within your faction."

I stared dumbfounded at first. So this was really serious? I cleared my throat and began, "Ghirahim allow me some clarity. Are you not still within Ganondorf's faction? It would be impossible to permit an enemy into our midst." The demon placed a hand on his chest offering a bright smile, "Your highness I have seen the error of my ways. I want nothing more than to put my magic at your disposal in the fight against Ganondorf. I see now that he is a tyrant and must be brought down, so I have terminated my allegiance to him. Now I have nowhere else to turn, precisely why I am begging in your court."

His tone sounded sincere enough, but there was no way I could fully trust that. At the same time, in the off chance he WAS being serious I could never turn down someone in need. This was quite a predicament. Eventually I sighed, "Very well Ghirahim. You understand that I cannot trust your word alone however. I will allow you some training with Link, and he will assess if you are serious or not. With his report back to me I will personally decide if it would be wise to permit you in our army." I heard an outraged "WHAT!?" from the same green clad warrior and more scuffling as Lana was struggling to hold him back again.

Ghirahim smiled again and bowed a second time. "Thank you your grace. I shall not disappoint you."

[Link's POV]

Whoa whoa whoa wait a minute… she said what? Link will do what now? There is no way I heard that right. He is the bad guy, a demon, and one of Ganondorf's minions! Why in the name of Hylia would he ever want to join us?! Apparently my irritation showed on my face. Lana nervously placed a hand on my chest to stop me running over there to punch the pest again. "Link calm down. The princess knows what she's doing."

"There is no way Ghirahim is serious about this. It's probably just a scheme to kidnap Zelda, or you, or any of our friends. I'm not letting that happen."

"There is no one better to watch him than you, and you don't have to grant him permission to join us. She left it up to you."

"Then he's out of here. I don't give a flying roc's feather if he says he's reformed, I'm not buying it."

"Link, please just give it a trial run for now. It will be okay if you are the one in charge of the situation. Zelda knows that, and so do I." I stopped my huffing and looked down at Lana. She was grinning at me, probably knowing she had won the argument. Ugh these girls will be the death of me. I breathed a sigh of defeat and offered a weak smile of my own. "If you think so, then I'll give it a shot. I don't have any hope for this though."

* * *

><p>Once Zelda had given the demon-sword more instruction and sent him off, she was walking back up the stairs looking worn out and worried. I met up with her and walked down the red carpeted hall with her. Originally I had planned an argument against letting the freak in here, or putting him in my jurisdiction… but once I got up here with her I couldn't actually say any of it. Darn that love struck awkwardness of mine. It really made being angry difficult.<p>

It was Zelda that broke the silence, "I'm sorry Link… I know I put you into a bit of a bind on this one. But there isn't much else I could do in that situation."

"I know Zelda. I don't blame you for it." I managed. She beamed up at me. I was probably imagining it, but I thought I saw her cheeks turn a bit red too.


End file.
